SUPT Journal flame-bait

[Hacker]

This weekend in preparation for an upcoming PCS I was cleaning out an old hard-drive so I can get rid of the old computer its in.

I ran across some very funny posts I saved from over at the old studentpilot.net (circa 2001) of a dude who was flaming me for the UPT journal I used to host at www.militarypilot.net

Thought you guys might like to read 'em and get a laugh from them, too.

What's up with all of these stupid journals? Do you really think that the little bit of help you give to a wannabe is worth the crap you are going to get just by having a website? The only reason I know about this site is because a casual dude was sitting there reading a journal called Road to Wings and was also a reader of this site. After a few minutes, there was a group of pilots reading about the trials and tribulations of a Strike Eagle guy and it was hard to control the laughter. My God, what a moron this guy is!!!

No matter what anyone says, you can't convince me that a published journal is anything more than a guy wanting to be the big fish in a small wannabe pond. "Hey look at me, I am a Strike Eagle pilot!!" Big deal...there are a bunch of them. The Strike Eagle world employs a great airplane and does a great job with their mission. Every community has a few bad apples, but this guy will almost be to the Strike Eagle what the Kadena guy was to C models.

Do yourself a favor, get through UPT and don't sell your soul to the devil by compromising the dignity of the system. These stupid journals that are around hasn't saved anybody from UPT elimination. All you have to do to stay in UPT is don't suck. Reading a journal isn't going to make you any better at flying an airplane, but making one will make you worse since your time should be spent learning.

In the F-15E community, there are Strike Eagle pilots and fighter pilots. The idiot who wrote that journal is a Strike Eagle pilot and can never attain the title of fighter pilot. I guarantee you that the fighter pilots in his squadron may be nice to him to his face because we live in a PC Air Force but behind closed doors he is a stain on their squadron recall roster.

This is the help I will give you as you start your career with a clean slate - Don't be him!! Spend your time at UPT being the best student you can possibly be and let the future wannbe's fend for themselves, they are going to have to learn to sooner or later.

Pretty cool, eh? Apparently I'm the laughing stock of the Strike Eagle community as well as just being a "pilot who flies fighters". Smokin'.

Here's more:

Randy,

In all honesty, are you a S.N.A.P.? (sensitive new age pilot for those not in the know)

To be quite honest with you, I would not want you as part of an ass kicking strike team.

I've had the pleasure of reading some of your posts and find many of your replies a little disturbing. I think your attitude represents many typical fighter pilots in today's AF: Playing the role but not able to assume the role.

I met you a long ways back, and you seem like a swell guy, but in many ways you represent many of our bretherin who are nothing more than wannabe Chuck Yeagers who wear their helmet while indulging in a fighter simulation game on their PC.

Sure, you fly a Mud Eagle but I guess sometimes we can't shed our true skin.

I choose to remain anonymous due to the political correctness of our beloved leaders.

We both wear bags, so I can respect that but with all due respect, could you please spend more time working at the base than giving advice to teenagers?

Sincerely, 0-4 Anonymous

Coool....so I'm apparently a SNAP, too.

Read on:

Hang on while while I get up off the floor. I haven't had a good laugh like that in a while.

I'm sure my Commander would consider some charges but since he was in the room while we were laughing at the journal I seriously doubt anything will come of it. I'll keep my eye on the OSI message traffic just in case.

The best thing that's happenned to the Air Force since the split? And I thought the author of the journal was an idiot. If journals were beneficial to the Air Force, it would be provided by the Air Force. No matter how you look at it, motivation to provide a journal is trying to be a big fish in a wannabe pond. It's not like the Air Force says, "well since you know everything about UPT, we'll make a slot for you." By providing a journal, you are helping a complete stranger get a slot while another complete stranger gets turned down, who was probably more qualified. This type of thing presents another problem for this Randy character. As I see it, AFPC would be stupid to make him any type of UPT instructor if he is so popular among the wannabe's. He has a record of being the "helpful" guy which is exactly what the Air Force doesn't want in an instructor. I'm sure the UAV assignment gets better after a couple of years.

Right again, dude.

Ready for the punchline? The guy who wrote these messages ENDED UP BEING ONE OF MY SQUADRON COMMANDERS while I've been on this tour in AETC!! Even more hilarious is that he by-name requested me to be in his squadron even knowing that I was this dude. He sprung this knowledge on me while I was standing on stage right before administering the oath for promotion, in front of all my bros.

[Hacker]

Originally posted by trailmix:

i think its harmless entertainment that serves a good purpose.

That's exactly where you're wrong, on both accounts -- it's ABSOLUTELY NOT harmless and there's no good reason to have it on the WWW for the entire world to see. It's a bad idea no matter how you rationalize it. Here's a repost of my "standard reply" about my experience with an SUPT journal:

I kept a journal in SUPT...one of the first (www.militarypilot.net) starting in 1997 and I kept it online until 2001. Before there was ever such a thing as a 'blog'!

I thought it was a great way to keep my family and friends informed on what I was doing, as well as giving outsiders a window into what UPT was all about. I didn't have a problem finding time to write it, and in fact I really enjoyed doing so. A lot of people read it, and interestingly it seemed to help a lot of people -- I have had dozens and dozens of people tell me 'I read your journal, and it was really an inspiration.'

That's great and all, but here are all the bad things that have happened to me as a direct result of having a UPT journal on the internet:

- Ragged on by squadronmates and bosses

- OSI investigation for making Export-restricted data available on the WWW (gouge study sheets containing material from the -1)

- ACC/IG investigation for the same thing

- Grounded during course of above investigations

- I have to check the 'yes' container every time I'm asked if I've ever been the subject of an inestigation for a security violation

- Contacted by a foreign intelligence agent, then subsequent hoops reporting that contact to the OSI

- The bad guys at SERE knew everything about me when I got there

- Interrogations were fun when they had my photo and 50 pages of me explaining who I was and what I did for a living sitting on the table in the interrogation room

If you think that stuff about SERE is bad, just imagine if you get captured or taken hostage in real life, how easy it is going to be for them to find out information about you and your family. I thought about that FREQUENTLY when I was flying OIF missions and getting shot at...wishing I hadn't done that stuff years before, before I knew it was a bad idea.

I've also found out subsequently that having a "high visibility" Air Force life -- having a journal, posting on military aviation message boards using my real name, etc, has essentially eliminated me from ever being eligible to participate in any super-secret projects (i.e. I'm not gonna be on the list the next time an F-117 type black program is looking for pilots).

Overall, it's just not worth it. If you want to write a journal, great...that part is really cool, especially going back and reading it years later. Put together an email list and send it out to your family and friends to read periodically. But DO NOT....I repeat, DO NOT put it on the internet if you want to have any semblance of a 'low visibility' USAF career.

Your choice.

[ 25. June 2006, 07:51: Message edited by: Hacker ]

[Guest Rainman A-10]

Hacker,

Great advice. The sign of a great IP is when they are willing to use themselves as an example.

Quite frankly, I can see myself saying the same things those guys said to you. However, I don't see myself holding it against you if you ended up working for me. I was always a performance based kind of guy. Either you had your shit together or you didn't.

The problem with a journal/blog is that it violates rule #1. Rule #1 is really all about self-preservation.

I'm sure you never intended to release any classified or sensitive or FOUO or whatever. The problem is, most of us had no idea what might be sensitive when we were stupid Lts because Lts have low SA. Just look at the number of questions guys here have about security clncs.

I would suggest that anyone (trailmix) who wants to set up an on-line journal think twice. If you feel like you must do it to keep family updated make sure it is password protected and strictly limit access. DO NOT put anything on your journal that cannot be directly linked to an open source like Janes. DO NOT talk about the tactics you used on a specific sortie. Bottom line, there is really no way you can be sure what you are sharing on the web stays in perspective and keeps you out of trouble.

[Guest THE10MAN]

Hacker-

FWIW, one of the greatest things I remember about your journal (pretty sure it was your journal) was the recipe for those b*tchin' breakfast burritos. I passed that on to CINChouse and those things kept me nutritionalized all thru UPT! Don't worry, you can be wingman anytime. :D

10MAN

[Hacker]

Originally posted by 123abc:

I do remember reading a journal entry by a guy who had just gotten Strike Eagles (which is why it had to have been you). I think he was in the RTU (or B course or whatever you guys call it) and made a post saying that he wouldn't be posting as often because now that he was in the operational air force, it just wasn't really that cool with squadron mates or appropriate (with all the OPSEC/security concerns) to have a journal.

Yep, that was me. It took me a while, but I finally got some SA after becoming a full-up wingman that I needed to shut the f*ck up.

Originally posted by 123abc:

Why did he by-name request you? To be a good sport and try to salvage his conscience, or to be able to rag on you some more, or did he genuinely think you were a badass that he wanted in his squadron? A mix of the above? I'd be curious.

Well, at the time he wrote that, he was some hair-on-fire line fighter pilot in a squadron somewhere. He had no idea he was going to be a SQ/CC, much less MY SQ/CC, 5 years from then. He was doing it because that is what passes for "mentorship" sometimes in a fighter squadron, especially when working with someone who has no f*cking clue what he's talking about (e.g., me at the time). I'm not saying I agree with the tactic, but I can see where it came from.

Why did he request me to work for him? Well, because before I worked for him I was a Student Flight/CC and he got to see my act as an instructor pilot. He liked what I had to offer, and by-name hired me. It was after he all ready worked/flew with me that he made the connection that I was the F*ck-O who had the UPT journal way back when. I don't think the two facts had anything to do with each other.

That CC we're talking about, by the way, is a kick-ass fighter pilot and a good boss. I'd fly into the sh*t on his wing any day.

Originally posted by 123abc:

What ever happened with all the investigations? They just told you to remove the journal? How do you like the commander that flamed you several years ago?

Nothing ever became of the investigations, save for the enormous asspain of going through them (which was MORE than enough, trust me). Again, when filling out security clearance information, I am now required to answer "yes" when they ask if I've ever been investigated...and spend the next who-knows-how-long explaining what happened.

That SQ/CC is probably one of the sh1t-hot Commanders I've ever worked for. See above.

Originally posted by 123abc:

Can't get F-117s? boo hoo. That would probably be an average assignment at a crummy base in a plane that's probably not nearly as fun as the F-15E.

You're right...I have no desire to go to the Stinkbug, but that isn't what I meant.

I was using that as an example. In the early 80s when the F-117 program was still black and recruiting pilots, they hand-picked nearly everyone. Since nobody knew about the program, they either picked you because you were billy bad-ass, or someone who was in the program knew you and recommended you.

I'm sure there are programs like that out there currently (who knows what they're called or what they do), and being Mr Blog or Mr Journal Website isn't going to make you a very attractive candidate for cool programs like that. About the last thing those programs need is someone who has an active life talking about sh1t he does on the internet. Talk about a security slip waiting to happen...

If I knew then what I know now...I'd still write all that stuff down in a journal, I just would not post it to the WWW.

[Guest ralph]

The F-16 guy who has a journal Lance said that he has had no problems.

[Guest Clemsonpilot]

I have gotten my share of military members giving me crap...but for every one of those I get 10 email saying thanks and how it helped them. It is also good to be able to look back at a year that flew by and remember the good and bad times.

[ 25. June 2006, 13:18: Message edited by: Clemsonpilot ]

[Young Crow]

Originally posted by trailmix:

Some of the journals I see (like www.hamletthouse.com ) have been informative

Curiosity got the better of me, and I checked that link out.

1. Not a big fan of that guy.

2. I don't want to be a dick, but what's the deal with "God blessed me with a 100%" or "God meant me to be go to T-1s". I don't care what you believe in, but I do expect some amount of personal responsibility in the front seat.

[Guest Rainman A-10]

Originally posted by Hacker:

I'm sure there are programs like that out there currently (who knows what they're called or what they do),

I'm just guessing that would be a good theory.

Originally posted by Hacker:

and being Mr Blog or Mr Journal Website isn't going to make you a very attractive candidate for cool programs like that.

It sure won't.

Let me pass a little more SA, theoretically of course...

Once your name gets on a "list" it will stay there forever. That is made clear the first time they hook you up to the polygraph machine...before they actually tell you anything. Of course, everyone gets their brain wiped when they leave, right? Right...except if you f#ck up ten years after you separate from the service you can expect a platoon of forensic ass kickers to show up at your doorstep for the mass rush up your six with an electron microscope.

Still, anything that increases your chances of being on the schedule "night one" is worth it.

[Guest ralph]

2. I don't want to be a dick, but what's the deal with "God blessed me with a 100%" or "God meant me to be go to T-1s". I don't care what you believe in, but I do expect some amount of personal responsibility in the front seat. [/QB]

[Guest OL' Patch]

Originally posted by Hacker:

I'm sure there are programs like that out there currently (who knows what they're called or what they do), and being Mr Blog or Mr Journal Website isn't going to make you a very attractive candidate for cool programs like that.

Words of GREAT wisdom from someone (eg. Hacker) who has been there and done that. What really amazes me is how did I get through OTS/ROTC/USAFA, UPT/ENJJPT, IFF, and RTU without posting my day-to-day life/minutae on the internet.

I don't get it. I'll admit it is interesting to read some of those sites; but, I don't understand. Someone please enlighten this dinosaur concerning what goes through your cranium to want to let the WHOLE world know your every thought, minute by minute blow-by-blow or your day time/night time activity....etc. I'm really and truly lost on this one.

Back to the point...don't shoot yourself in the foot as Hacker so eloquently posted.

OL' Patch

[ 25. June 2006, 17:41: Message edited by: OL' Patch ]

[Guest OL' Patch]

Originally posted by OL' Patch:

...minute by minute blow-by-blow

...and yea young dudes, STS/So to speak is a NEW whatcha-ma-call-it to this old guy. I'll pass!

Cheers

[ 25. June 2006, 17:42: Message edited by: OL' Patch ]

[Hacker]

Originally posted by OL' Patch:

how did I get through OTS/ROTC/USAFA, UPT/ENJJPT, IFF, and RTU without posting my day-to-day life/minutae on the internet.

You know, I have to say that it was a different world 9-10 years ago when I started my website. When I was initially selected to go to UPT (from active duty), I was hungry for any information about the program that I could get my hands on.

At the time, unfortunately, there was NOTHING out there. I couldn't find a book or a website anywhere that had any kind of detailed information about UPT. Again, this is long before there was such a thing as 'blogging', and 56K dialup internet was the heat.

So, I decided that since the info wasn't anywhere to be found that I would create that resource, believing that if I were seeking that kind of information on UPT surely there were other guys out there that wanted to know the same thing.

About that time I found Dave Werner's "Journal of a Student Naval Aviator" website. As far as I can tell, his website was really the first to have a military pilot training journal on the internet. I liked his site, so I blatantly ripped off the idea and started up one to chronicle the USAF side of training.

I have had literally hundreds of guys tell me they read my journal, followed the progress, and learned a lot. The nay-sayers can talk until they are blue in the face that no UPT students benefit from reading some dude's journal, but I believe otherwise because I had MANY, MANY people tell me otherwise.

So...that's why I did it. It wasn't for some narcissistic pleasure -- just to be a resource for a niche that didn't have one.

Personally, I don't get the blog thing. That doesn't appeal to me in any way, either writing them or reading them. There are enough guys in my line of work who pontificate on every point as if they alone were able to solve the world's problems, so I don't need to read that kind of diatribe on the internet, too.

Again, in retrospect if I had it all to do over, I would NOT keep a UPT journal on the internet. Although there are some altruistic benefits as well as some purely personal benefits, NONE of those benefits outweighs the risks of doing it. UPT studs, I'm speaking based on experience here. You don't see the big picture from where you're sitting, but several assignments down the road you may think differently.

I keep hearing folks say, "well such-and-such says he's never run into any problems because of his journal." Well, for one I think that's bullsh*t. Lance Ferguson may not have had any repercussions from his blog, but you can bet your ass that his IPs were reading it and joking about it behind closed doors. I know...I was one of his IPs.

BESIDES, so what if one or two or three guys have had no problems. I'm here as an example of someone who DID have a problem because of it. Why, why, why would anyone ever risk going through what I did for something with no tangible benefit like keeping an online journal? Even if there was only a one-in-100 chance of having a problem, you're still not very smart for risking it. Use some of that good ORM common sense they've been teaching you in UPT and check out the risks vs the rewards. There are lots of risks and only few rewards.

As an aside, I absolutely WOULD keep a personal journal of "there I was" stories while going through training. Recently I converted my logbook over to a digital spreadsheet, and I was able to take some of that stuff and cut-and-paste it into the remarks section for the flights. It made for some great memories of some of the cool sh*t I've done for Uncle Sam.

[ 25. June 2006, 19:50: Message edited by: Hacker ]

[Guest THE10MAN]

^^^ I work with one of them...someone gives him crap about it almost every day. He's an A-1, standup, top-notch dude, but he'll never live that one down.

[Guest rumblefish_2]

When I was going thru the application process I kept up with Hacker's journal and found it very helpful. When I was hating my shoe job at Randolph AFB, it seriously made me want to become a pilot. So, it did help this young punk out, and Hacker always answered my questions so he definitely was the resource he speaks of, and a damn good one. I can't wait to fight him someday...

I have a website set up on the net that allows people to ask me questions about how to become a pilot, etc. and it pretty much keeps me anonymous in the process. No blogs, no journals, etc. Sure, they could probably find out who I am if they really tried, but if you're smart and know the pitfalls like what is being explained here, the internet (esp this website) is a very useful tool for being successful at UPT...

[Mambo]

Originally posted by Young Crow:

Curiosity got the better of me, and I checked that link out.

1. Not a big fan of that guy.

2. I don't want to be a dick, but what's the deal with "God blessed me with a 100%" or "God meant me to be go to T-1s". I don't care what you believe in, but I do expect some amount of personal responsibility in the front seat.

[HerkDerka]

Originally posted by Mambo:

I think they would be very interested in Mr. Hamletts site seeing he's due up there in October. Should make for an interesting 1st day of RT.

That boy has made a world of hurt for himself. I spent some time reading through his journal and.....wow.

HD

[ 26. June 2006, 01:57: Message edited by: HerkDerka ]

[Clayton Bigsby]

So...posting on this forum...can that hurt you? Is it low-viz? Yes I know I don't have my mugshot displayed prominently (even in my profile), but I don't think for one minute that people, esp those in my squadron, couldn't eventually figure out who I am.

Yeah I'm not keeping a detailed journal of my life here, or my entire collected day-to-day thoughts, but still.

[Guest NoleMet]

I wouldn't worry too much about it... it's not like they won't find anything about you they can't get through the VA... :rolleyes:

[drewpey]

just wait until you retire to live the public life...

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...iendID=67527787

[Hacker]

Originally posted by trailmix:

All that being said... did the dudes on "American Fighter Pilot" catch any $hit for the show? I could see that being compared to a journal... lots of personal thoughts etc.

I work with the same guy that 10MAN does and have flown with him for the last 3 years. I think he catches more grief from the students about being on TV than from any of his fellow IPs.

His video always makes for good fodder in student graduation videos.

The difference with the AFP thing, though, is that those guys HAD NO CHOICE in the matter. They didn't get to decide if they wanted to participate in the show or not. Everyone with a website HAS a choice.

[Guest waxgoblin]

http://www.hamletthouse.com/assets/images/1CIMG0009.jpg

wow... he posted a family pic... good job hammy.

edit: ok, i found the entire family section.... brilliant.

[ 26. June 2006, 05:34: Message edited by: waxgoblin ]

[Clayton Bigsby]

That guy is so, so, so, soooooo screwed. I wonder if he has any idea what he's going to face...ugggh.

[Guest JimNtexas]

I'm now ten years retired. I wish I had kept a journal or diary of my time in the Air Force.

It's the most interesting part of my life, and it would be fun to have a record to go back to. Plus if you are in the service very long at all, you'll be at least a small part of something historic at some time. Your great-grandchildren will appreciate knowing a little about your little part in it.

But putting it on the web while you're still on active probably isn't a good idea. Keep you blog, but don't publish it until the day you seperate or retire.

[Guest Rainman A-10]

I know a guy who wrote a book after Kosonam.

He was still on active duty when he did it.

I've never read it but I have heard of some quotes from the book. Allegedly, he said some silly stuff like "I'm color blind so I could pick out a tank in the treeline from the bozoshpere."

Huh?